Through the Eyes of a Dragon
by Sunhawk1
Summary: This is a Sailor Moon/Ranma/Palladium (people who did RIFTS) crossover... I did a minor editing on chapter 1 and combined 4 and 5 into 4. Chapter 5 teaser is out!
1. Prologue

Eyes of a Dragon  
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any sort of copyright to either Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon, no do I have any right to receive any sort of material benefit from my borrowing of ideas from the two series. I worship their creators, and beg them not to strike me with lightning bolts from heaven for my presumption... unless I do a horrible job, in which case I should probably commit seppuku to restore my honor. I'm merely attempting to show my supreme worship of, and, let's be perfectly frank, my complete obsession with, anime, and Ranma 1/2 in particular.  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Ranma looked up at the sky. It was getting towards night; he'd need to find a good place to camp.   
He sighed. Training was all he did now; he hadn't been back to the dojo, or school, for over a month. Too many memories; too many well-meaning (or ill-meaning) encounters with people who didn't care or didn't understand.  
Kuno was out for his blood; Kodachi, Shampoo, and Ukyo all pursued him harder than ever. Oyaji, Sound, and Cologne all trying to manipulate him more, trying to coerce him.  
Oddly enough, Ryouga hadn't been giving him any grief; he was probably feeling the same way. Lucky pig; at least he could get lost at the drop of a hat, without trying to lose everybody who attempted to follow him.  
'Poor Ryouga. Poor him. Poor...'  
He refused to go any further. Last time he did that, he wrecked a good-sized area of the forest with a Perfect Shi-Shi-Hokodan.  
There was a faint rumble in the sky, as clouds drifted in from the north.  
'Not enough time to set up a shelter. Maybe I can find a cave or something to weather it out,' he thought, looking around for a likely candidate.   
A small cliff-face rose up off to the right, and he headed towards it. The cliff had a few sizable niches and a few caves, mostly near the top, except for one largish one that was only about twenty feet off the ground.  
He shrugged. This seemed to be good enough.  
He crouched, then jumped up to the opening, and peered inside. It was quite large, and the cave went back farther than he could see.  
'Perfect. I'll just get some wood and I'll even have a fire.'  
He set his pack down by one of the walls, and jumped down to the ground to get the firewood, while the sky grew darker and the rain began to fall.  
  
The fire crackled and hissed as he laid out his sleeping bag, and then sat and watched it burn.  
Akane was dead. It was time he accepted that. His first real friend in ten years, maybe even more than a friend, gone. He'd never find out if they'd fall in love; he never got the chance to really train her.  
It was all his fault. Maybe if he fought harder, or maybe if he had stayed home in the first place, she'd still be alive...  
"It's my fault. If I had tried harder, she'd still be alive. If I had killed Saffron sooner, she would have had time..."  
"And maybe she wouldn't, youngling," a deep, hollow voice echoed in the cave.  
"Huh? Who's there!?"  
Ranma whirled, looking around. He hadn't sensed anyone approach, and he couldn't see or hear any movement beyond the firelight.  
"Who, me? Why, I'm only a memory of ages past..." the voice replied with a hint of humor.  
A formless light seemed to gather in the cave, illuminating...  
A reptilian face, with a long scaled body coiled up behind it, far longer than anything Ranma had seen before. A dragon.  
Ranma's eyes widened. He'd never really seen an actual dragon; Herb wasn't really one, after all. It was... huge!  
It was also slightly transparent.  
"Wha...?"  
The dragon's eyes danced in a lively pattern. "If you don't close your mouth, youngling, you'll be catching flies soon."  
Ranma shut his jaw with a *snap*, and flushed.  
"Whaddya want?" he said, with a hint of his customary insolence.  
"Why, nothing. I was just curious about who was staying in my cave."  
Ranma stood up, somewhat unnerved.  
"I'm Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. And, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way; I won't disturb your rest any more."  
The dragon smiled. "A disturbance would be quite welcome. It's been a long time since I've talked with anyone, and you... intrigue me. You have a strong spirit, and one that seems quite pure in purpose."  
Ranma sat back down reluctantly.  
"Now tell me, youngling, what is it that's troubling you? I gather that you lost someone close to you... who was she?" the dragon asked in a strangely gentle tone.  
Ranma hesitated.  
'Oh, why not. Maybe talking about it could help.'  
"My fiance, Akane. She died a little over a month ago, in China."  
"I see. Did you love her?"  
"I-I think so. I mean, I liked her; she was my first real friend in ten years, and she was my fiance. I guess we never really got the time to sort out how we felt, really. And now we never will."  
"Tell me how she died."  
Ranma found himself telling the whole tale; the trip to China, Akane's kidnapping, the springs, and Saffron.  
"And you blame yourself for her death." It was not a question.  
"Yes! If I had been faster, or if I had..."  
"I wouldn't say that her death is your fault; from what I see, you tried as hard as you could to save her. The one truly at fault would be Saffron. Any person involved could've, might've, done something different. You can't blame yourself more than any other person in it, except for those who did what they did, intending her death."  
"But I-"  
The dragon cut him off. "Would she have blamed you?"  
"Yes! It-"  
"I doubt it. You fought hard, far harder than anyone had any right to expect from you. Let your soul be at peace. Remember her in your heart, and let yourself heal. You lost your friend; don't lose yourself as well."  
"I'll... try." Ranma paused. "So, who are you?"  
The dragon paused for a moment, then looked rather sheepish.  
"You know, I've been here so long, I do believe I've forgotten my name. How embarrassing!"  
Ranma sweatdropped.  
"Ahh... so; you're a dragon?"  
"Well, not really. I've been... kinda.. dead for the past few centuries."  
Ranma blinked.  
"So you're the ghost of a dragon?"  
"Well... yes."  
"Huh."  
The dragon looked him over.  
"So, what are you going to do now? It does help to find something to do to get over your grief, you know."  
"Well, I suppose I'll go back to the dojo soon, and find some way of getting rid of the other fiances."  
The dragon sweatdropped.  
"... How many do you have?"  
"Currently two... that I know of... plus a psychotic gymnist."  
The dragon winced.  
"... All oyaji's fault. And then I guess I'll go live with my mother."  
The dragon sighed.  
"Once you're done with settling your affairs, come back and I'll give you some training. With the life you've led, and doubtless will lead, you probably could use it."  
"Uh... thanks."  
"Good night, youngling."  
The illumination dimmed and vanished, leaving Ranma alone by the fire.  
  
*****  



	2. Chapter One

Through the Eyes of a Dragon  
A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 Fanfic  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Ranma hiked through the forest towards the cliff that, two days ago, he had met   
the dragon.  
  
'I hope he was serious about that training; I need new stuff to practice.'  
  
As the cliff face came into view, he wondered what the training would be...  
  
He built a fire in the cave and waited for night to fall.  
  
"Ahh... back so soon, youngling?" came the half-expected voice, as the cave lit   
up. "So, how did it go?"  
  
Ranma sighed.  
  
"Well, it could have been worse, but not by much..."  
  
**** flashback ****  
  
Everyone was gathered together in the dojo, each responding to a hand-written   
message from Ranma:  
  
Please come to the Tendo Dojo at noon tomorrow, concerning the matter of my   
engagements.  
  
Ranma Saotome  
  
'At last, Ranma will get rid of that Chinese hussy and marry me!' Ukyo thought   
with a dreamy expression on her face.  
  
'Airen finally come back to China and marry Shampoo!' Shampoo thought, with an   
'identical expression on her face.  
  
'Ah, the boy has come to his senses and agreed to marry a Tendo and I'll at last   
get my retirement of leisure!' a fat panda thought.  
  
'Oh ho, Ranma-darling will at last run off with me and declare his love!'  
  
Cologne, Nabiki, Soun, and Kasumi just sat there, waiting.  
  
Ranma walked in.  
  
"Ranchan!"  
  
"Airen!"  
  
"Ranma-darling!"  
  
He sighed. He had just known this would be a mistake. Maybe he should've just left.  
  
But he had to at least try to solve things.  
  
"Siddown, everyone."  
  
Shampoo and Kodachi sat down.  
  
"I've been thinkin about this whole mess, an how I feel about it, and I've come to   
some decisions."  
  
'At last!' most of the room thought.  
  
He turned to Ukyo, and knelt down in front of her. This would be the hardest of all.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ucch- Ukyo, but I don't love you the way you want. I'd still like to be   
your friend, but I can't marry you. I'm sorry."  
  
Ukyo stared up at him in shock.  
  
"What? But- you- I-"  
  
He got up, and moved over to Shampoo.  
  
"Shampoo..."  
  
She jumped up and glomped him.  
  
"Aiyah! Now we get married and go to China, yes?"  
  
He gently disengaged from her and set her back down.  
  
"No. I'm not going to marry you. I don't love you, and have no intention of living   
in your village."  
  
"Son-in-law, she is your wife. Amazon law demands that you come back to the   
village," Cologne said, rather sternly.  
  
Ranma turned to face Cologne.  
  
"Guess what, old ghoul? I'm NOT an amazon, and I'm NOT in your village! I am not   
bound by your laws, and my laws do not support your claims!"  
  
He turned around and faced Kodachi. He didn't want to get immersed in a pointless   
argument, at least, not before he was finished.  
  
"Kodachi-" he said, his voice not gentle at all.  
  
"Ranma-darling! At last, with these harlots out of the way, and that filthy peasant   
dead, we can-"  
  
Ranma's eyes hardened, and the temperature of the room dropped at least 20 degrees.   
Cologne stopped what she was about to say, and Nabiki winced. That was an exceptionally   
stupid thing to say.  
  
"Kodachi." Ranma's voice was like ice, "I don't love you, and never did. Your mind is   
as warped as your soul, and if you speak of Akane again like that, you will... not like the   
consequences. Am I understood?"  
  
Kodachi sat, wide-eyed, stunned. She didn't say a word.  
  
He grimaced. 'One more to go...'  
  
He turned to his father and the Tendos.  
  
"I'll be moving out, and finding a place to live." He turned to Soun, and gave a small   
bow. "Thank you for housing me, Tendo-san."  
  
"But, son; what about the pledge to the Tendos? Do you have no honor? How could-" Genma   
burst out.  
  
Ranma broke in. "Who are you to speak to me of honor, with everything you've done to me?"  
  
He turned back to Soun, and gave a sad little smile.  
  
"I would not put either of your daughters at the same risk as Akane..."  
  
He stopped and looked around at everyone. He sighed. They weren't listening.  
  
'Well, it looks like this was a total waste... I'll give them maybe an hour to get over   
the shock before they start up again.'  
  
He walked out of the dojo, grabbed his pack, which contained the sum of all of his   
belongings, and walked off.  
  
Back in the dojo, people started drifting out, already plotting their next attacks.  
  
**** end flashback ****  
  
"Nobody really seemed to believe me except for Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi. Everyone else   
just won't give up."  
  
The dragon shrugged. "Did you really expect them to?"  
  
"Well... not really, but, still..."  
  
"Enough of that, youngling. It's time for me to teach you. First, however, I need you   
to demonstrate what you already know."  
  
He paused, then said "Begin!"  
  
Several hours later, Ranma was drenched with sweat. He had pushed himself almost non-  
stop, flowing through kata after kata at the fastest speeds he could push himself at. He   
demonstrated how he used his battle aura, and the chi techniques that he picked up. He   
demonstrated the Hiryuu Shoten Ha, although he didn't have a target to perform it on, and   
performed the strongest Moko Takabisha that he could muster. With some hesitation, and a   
little prompting, he even displayed the Forbidden Techniques (which did seem to impress his   
audience).  
  
He carefully walked over to his bed roll, trying hard not to stagger with exhaustion.   
  
"So, how did I do?"  
  
"Impressive... most impressive. I haven't seen such skill in a long time. There is   
little in the ways of martial arts that I could teach you; you are at the point that you   
will improve best on your own."  
  
"So you can't teach me?"  
  
"I didn't say that, youngling. There are still a few things that you can learn. We   
can start with your senses... sit down in a comfortable position and close your eyes."  
  
Ranma shrugged and did so.  
  
"Good. Now let your thoughts go... relax your emotions, and feel for your center;   
where your aura is strongest."   
  
The dragon then paused for a moment.  
  
"Now release your aura, and just stretch out your senses and listen."  
  
A small mouse scurried out and crouched over Ranma's pack, and started rummaging for   
food. The dragon grinned. Perfect.  
  
"Can you feel anything?"  
  
"Like what? I feel uncomfortable and a little cold; that's it."  
  
"Forget that. Listen and feel for energy; much like you normally would sense a well-  
developed battle aura. You are searching for life, youngling. Stretch out your spirit, relax,   
and feel the world around you."  
  
Ranma furrowed his brow.  
  
The dragon watched, and waited.  
  
The mouse nibbled on a piece of dried fruit.  
  
The fire crackled.  
  
  
A half hour later, Ranma slowly said "I think I feel something... off to the left?   
Something small?"  
  
The dragon smiled.  
  
"Good. Now open your eyes and look for what you sensed."  
  
Ranma opened his eyes and looked over to his left, where his pack lay.  
  
"I don't see anything there; just my pack-"  
  
The pack rustled, and Ranma's eyes met those of a well-fed mouse, still holding   
a small piece of fruit.  
  
"Hey! Get away from there, you little runt!"  
  
Ranma lunged for the mouse, who ducked behind the pack and scurried off into   
the night.  
  
"Grrr... little rodent!"  
  
"Calm down, youngling... that mouse was what you sensed. Now, we practice and   
practice until you can detect various kinds of energy around you."  
  
"What's the use of being able to detect mice?"  
  
"You have encountered magic and demons before, yes? Imagine, youngling, being   
able to know when something evil approaches, or being able to sense someone under a   
spell? Or perhaps you are in a pitch black room, and you need to fight, without relying   
on any of your senses."  
  
"Err... makes sense, I suppose."  
  
"Good. Now, get back to sleep. We start in the morning."  
  
****  
  
Nabiki smirked as she organized her accounts current. Whatever stunt Ranma was   
trying to pull, it was quite profitable, for however long it took to find him. Everyone   
seemed to want to find him, and naturally paid her for the location. She in turn sold   
information on what each of the others was plotting, and thus every one of them spent   
their time foiled each others' plots, thus leading to more frustration and more yen for her!  
  
The amazons were the first to come to her; immediately after the meeting in the dojo   
had degenerated into a fight, with each potential fiance blaming the others for 'scaring   
Ranma away.' Ukyo soon followed.  
  
Next, her father and the panda tried to get her to help them, and paid a large amount   
to locate the wayward groom.  
  
Kodachi had offered a significant sum, and her brother had offered a larger one for   
the locations of 'That foul sorcerer' and his 'pig-tailed love.  
  
Now, she spent her time searching for Ranma, on a daily retainer too, while the   
conflicts escalated. Ukyo spent her time drinking and running her restaurant, pausing only in   
another attempt to foil the amazons. The amazons were preparing to haul Ranma back home with   
them, willing or not. The Kunos were merely being nuisances to the others, and her father and   
Mr. Saotome spent their time playing shogi and bemoaning 'such a worthless boy.'  
  
Soon, she would find wherever he was hiding, and the real money would roll in!  
  
****  
  
Ranma sweated as he concentrated on the air in front of him. It was a month since he   
started training, and it was a month spent in constant labor. After pronouncing his senses   
"adequate," his new teacher started to instruct him in the real thing; magic.  
  
At first, Ranma was a bit leery of learning it; his previous exposures to magic were   
never very benign, whether it was Jusenkyo curses, love potions, or a phoenix's fire. However,   
his teacher's arguments were quite...   
persuasive...  
  
**** flashback ****  
  
"You WILL learn it!" he said with a slight frown that showed a little too much in the   
way of teeth for Ranma's comfort. "Or are you, perhaps, too much of a coward like your father,   
who would cower in front of an angry child with a dull kitchen knife? You are a martial artist,   
correct?"  
  
Ranma was a bit taken aback at first, but his customary bravado reasserted itself. "Of   
course I am! I'm the best!"  
  
The dragon gave a bit of a smirk that reminded Ranma of the times that Nabiki got him   
to say something that would become an incredible embarrassment later.  
  
"Well then, youngling... what is the purpose of a martial artist? What is the most   
important duty of someone who studies the art?"  
  
"Err... to protect those weaker then themselves?" Ranma said, a bit hesitantly. He had   
an inkling of where this was going, and it didn't look good.  
  
"And wouldn't it be your DUTY, as a martial artist, to become the best you can be, in   
order to protect better," the dragon thundered, "and wouldn't you therefore owe it to yourself,   
and to those who you would protect, to learn everything you can?"  
  
"Uhhh..." Ranma really couldn't see any way out of it...  
  
"WELL?"  
  
"Uhh... yes?"  
  
"Well then," his teacher's voice dropped from a bellow that eerily resembled that of a   
drill sergeant to a (to Ranma's mind, safer) more muted rumble, "why would it be so bad to   
learn how to use the natural forces around you? After all," and here his voice became almost   
coaxing, "many of the effects of magic, especially spirit or chi-driven magic, are very much   
like what you can do with certain application of pure ki."  
  
"Well..." When he put it that way, Ranma didn't really have much choice, so he decided   
to resign himself (somewhat) gracefully to the inevitable. He sighed.  
  
"Okay, fine. Now tell me what I gotta do."  
  
**** end flashback ****  
  
And that brought him to his present predicament: for the past two days, he'd gotten no   
sleep and no food. In front of him was a veritable feast, protected by a shield of magic   
generated by his new teacher (torturer, he mentally amended), and which he was determined to   
break. Until he did, it was declared, he couldn't eat, and he wouldn't be permitted to sleep,   
either.  
  
First, deciding to 'cheat' a bit, he tried using a form of chi-blast to break it, only to   
receive a painful surprise when it 'bounced' off of the dome and smacked him in the forehead.   
The smirk on the dragon's face served only to motivate him, and he spent a (very) painful   
half-hour blasting at it with his chi, and trying to use physical attacks (which was quite   
painful, to say the least), before giving up and deciding to take a nap, and figure it all out   
later.  
  
Second mistake.  
  
No sooner had his eyes shut than be was roughly awoken by a jolt that reminded him of   
the time he had hit a live wire coming down from a malleting. The smirk on his teacher's face   
widened.  
  
"What the hell was that for??" he snapped angrily.  
  
"Now, now, youngling..." and here the voice was almost mocking, "no napping for you   
until you can do this!"  
  
Ranma muttered something unintelligible (and impolite) and sat up, glaring at the   
dome of glistening air.  
  
Ever since then, he'd been examining the globe, pushing at it with his new senses   
and abilities, trying to figure out how to open it. With little success, too.  
  
Gradually, over the past two days, he had learned how to use his chi to crudely "push"   
at the barrier, rather than that first disasterous blast, but with little success. No matter   
how hard he shoved at it, it just seemed to flex and waver.  
  
There was a sigh, and he looked up.  
  
"Youngling, try to use the natural magical energy inside you, rather than your life   
energies or chi. It will work a lot faster; trust me."  
  
Ranma glared.  
  
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"  
  
The dragon gave him a look that reminded him of a teacher who couldn't, for the life   
of him, figure out how he could have gotten such a dense student.  
  
"You weren't listening earlier, were you?"  
  
"Err... uhh... well..."  
  
"I take that as a 'no.'"  
  
"Well..."  
  
The dragon gave another long-suffering sigh, and them cleared his (rather   
insubstantial) throat.  
  
"Well, do you remember what I told you about finding your magical center?"  
  
"Err... yeah, kinda."  
  
"Well, then... do it!"  
  
Ranma closed his eyes and sought inwards. He slowly brought one hand up, and a   
glimmering ball of blue appeared above it. He opened his eyes.  
  
"There."  
  
The dragon frowned.  
  
"No, that's your chi."  
  
"... What's the difference?"  
  
"Well, youngling, your chi can be seen as your life force. It's reflected in   
your determination, your mental strength, and your health. The weaker your chi, the frailer   
you tend to be."  
  
"Like Ms. Hinako, before the old perv fixed her up?"  
  
"Yes, very much like her; her ability to drain off others' chi is what keeps her   
healthy. Magic, however, is centered in the spirit; the soul, if you will. Unlike when you   
gather your chi, you need to first 'find' your spirit before bringing it out. Often, with   
chi, you focus, but with magic, you need to keep a connection with your soul. Focus on your   
center, instead of on your target."  
  
Ranma frowned.  
  
"So, how do I find it, then?"  
  
"Remember what I said, the first day, about feeling where your aura is strongest?   
Do that."  
  
Ranma sat down and meditated.  
  
Ten minutes later, he said "Okay, now what?"  
  
"Concentrate on that point until you feel a warmth."  
  
"Okay... ... ... and?"  
  
In your mind, concentrate on it. Now, bring your hand up, and, still holding on   
to that warmth, let part of that warmth flow up your arm and coalesce above your hand."  
  
Ranma slowly lifted his arm. A frown furrowed his brow in concentration as a   
gleaming ball of pearly white light sparkled in mid-air.  
  
"Now open your eyes"  
  
Ranma sat up and stared as the illumination coming from above his palm.  
  
"Good. Now, look closely at it; describe the color or colors in the center of   
the ball."  
  
Ranma leaned closer and squinted.  
  
"Whitish, but there's something funny about it; as if there was some sort of   
rainbow sheen coating it."  
  
The dragon quirked an eyebrow. Interesting... he half-expected it to breed   
true, knowing what he did of Ranma's family history, but it was still gratifying to   
see.  
  
"Err... is there something significant about the color?"  
  
"The color often indicates what associations your magic has, youngling."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Magic can be divided into elements. A person's spirit often will have ties   
to one or two elements."  
  
"Elements?"  
  
"There are five, corresponding to the five elements found in nature: air,   
fire, water, metal, and wood. Most mortal magic falls within the bounds of these   
five."  
  
"So how can you tell what element someone has?"  
  
"The color often gives a clue to the nature of a person's gift. A reddish   
tint indicates fire, while a bluish hue corresponds to water. A yellow or white shade   
usually indicates air, green for metal, and a brown color is for wood."  
  
"So I correspond to air, then?"  
  
"Not exactly, youngling. Note that earlier I said 'most' mortal magic falls   
within these bounds. There are a few exceptions... such as spirit magic."  
  
"Spirit magic?"  
  
"What you show. Spirit magic represents itself as a white glow, like air, but is   
distinguished by the irridescent glow inside. It is, perhaps, the rarest of human   
(and other) magics, although it is not necesssarily more powerful than any other.   
It is merely more adaptable and malleable to the user's wishes, to some extent. I   
myself manifest both spirit magic and air magic, which is a very rare combination;   
spirit magic usually doesn't mix with any other kind. However, it often both closely   
resembles chi in manifestations, and is very tightly linked to it. In fact, chi-adepts   
who are magically active are more likely to have ties to spirit magic than non-chi-  
adepts. Certain beings that are linked with the chi-flows of the earth also commonly   
manifest a spirit aura.  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"The most likely explanation lies in the traits often shared by those who hold   
a bond to a particular element. For example, those tied to fire often are   
passionate, in either anger or in love, and are often creative, while those of   
water tend to be calm and adaptable. Wood is slow but steady; those who share it's   
nature are solid and stubborn, and very loyal. Air is light and quick, curious and   
impulsive, and those traits are shared with those connected to it. Metal is   
unyielding and strong. Spirit magic seems to most often manifest those with a   
strong life-force, reflecting their determination, their will, and their, for lack   
of a better word, inherent 'nobility,' and those are also some of the same traits   
reflected in those who have achieved some mastery of chi."  
  
Ranma was... intrigued. This was something new, maybe a chance to learn   
not just a new technique that happened to be magical, but a whole new set of   
skills that could be applied... anywhere!  
  
"There are a few other forms of natural magic, but they are rare and   
often unique, and usually focus upon a concept or pseudo-element, such as time or   
healing. Now, youngling, relax, and let the energy flow back into your body."  
  
Ranma sat back, and the glow vanished.  
  
"So, what do we do now?"  
  
"youngling, now you practice doing those same motions, centering,   
finding, drawing, and releasing, until you can center, find, draw, and release   
under any circumstances whatsoever," and here the dragon's face twisted into a   
positively gleeful smirk, before continuing. "Once we havefinished with that for   
the day, you may attempt to use your energy to break the dome and get supper."  
  
Ranma groaned. This was going to be a loooong day.   
  
'Or days,' he silently amended, gazing at the still-smirking ghost.  
  
"Stupid flying snake," he muttered.  
  
'Wham!'  
  
'Crunch!'  
  
"Ite..."  
  
"Sticks and stones, youngling, won't break my bones, but words can   
definitely hurt you."  
  
****  
  
Ranma and his teacher stood about ten feet apart of them, ribbons and   
beams of amorphous light cracking in the air between each other. A light would   
shoot out from one, only to be parried or blocked by a light from the other.   
They had been standing there for hours, each refusing to move. Occasionally one   
shining spark or beam would get through and impact on the other's skin, making   
them flinch. At last, the dragon called a halt.  
  
"That's enough, youngling. You've been making a lot of progress, and   
I'd say you've done well enough, in my mind; there's not much more I can teach   
you. Most of what you really need is experience, and you won't get much of   
that here."  
  
Ranma gave a small smirk and a slight bow.  
  
'Smack!'   
  
The dragon gave a surprisingly solid (for a supposed ghost) cuff on   
Ranma's cheek, rocking him back.  
  
"Don't let that swell your head; you still have much to learn. Most   
of it, however, are things that I can't pound into your thick skull."  
  
He gave a small grin to take away the sting of his statement.  
  
"I must admit, howeer, that you've done quite well, and I'm proud of   
you. I do expect you to visit in a few years, though, amd maybe find a nice   
girl to show off to your poor old teacher, perhaps, hmmm?"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes and bit back a groan. His teacher, however wise   
and all-that he may be, did have his faults. One of the more irritating (to   
Ranma's mind, at least) was his tendency to wax eloquent on Ranma's potential   
future romantic possibilities. He could understand it from his mother perhaps;   
she wanted grandchildren after all, but not from HIM. He didn't think he was   
related to him, after all...  
  
The ghost handed Ranma an elaborate scroll, tied with a golden ribbon   
and a seal of a coiling silver dragon in golden wax.  
  
"Take this to your mother before you leave to be on your own."  
  
Ranma looked puzzled.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"With some luck, it'll help you patch things up with her, and perhaps   
enlist her help for dealing with your... other... problems."  
  
At that, Ranma grimaced.  
  
"Don't remind me."  
  
The dragon shrugged.  
  
"They'll still be there whether or not you consider them. Besides, you  
should always keep on good terms with your mother; I'd bet she misses you terribly."   
  
Ranma winced, and then sighed and nodded. He'd take it to his mother... he   
did owe her a lot... ten years' worth.  
  
"All right, all right."  
  
The dragon suddenly started to glow brighter, and then slowly faded out.  
  
"Remember to visit, and keep practicing; you'll never know when you'll need   
it."  
  
Ranma watched as the light dimmed into a single spark, which them vanished.   
Giving a small, if sincere, bow, he hefted his pack and walked out of the cave that   
had been his home for eight months.  
  
As he walked away, unseen eyes watched him go.  
  
'Good luck, Ranma, son of Nodoka of the clan of Takari... Soon it will be   
time for you to truly awaken, Great-grandson."  
  
****  
  
Author's Notes: Author's note: This is a (still) uncompleted chapter one,   
and will probably go through some revisions fairly soon... I'm not satisfied with   
everything... For those who asked what the dragon's name/ID is, you'll find out in   
the rest of the chapter... and no, he has nothing to do with the Silver Millenium...   
Hopefully I'll have the rest of the chapter up soon.  
  
Revision/Update Notes: Okay, the biggest difference right now is the   
formatting, but expect the rest of the chapter up soon: the missing scene  
needs to be tightened up a bit, and the conclusion to the chapter needs a bit of   
revision. Expect rapid progress in future chapters; I've mapped out where I'm going   
with this one for the next few... deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com for feedback!!!  
  
Revision, Mark II Notes: Final scene written... only scene left is one I need to copy  
from a tape recorder. Chapter 2 coming up: meeting with Nodoka, finding a new home,  
and encounters with the Senshi (I did say this was a crossover, after all...) 


	3. Chapter Two

Through the Eyes of a Dragon  
(Ranma 1/2, Palladium Games, and Sailor Moon Crossover)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them; wish I did...  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Ranma, sweating slightly in the mid-day heat, carried a large box up   
to the apartment. This would be the last of it; next was... unpacking. Joy.  
  
His visit to his mother had been surprisingly anticlimatic. He half   
expected to be ambushed by the Nerima Nutso Squad by the time he left   
(courtesy of Nabiki), or to encounter his good-for-nothing bum of a father.  
  
Instead, his mother had greeted him with a smile and outstretched   
arms - no katana. She had asked him how he way, and then after the   
pleasantries were out of the way, had asked him where he'd been.  
  
**** flashback ****  
  
She sat across from him, sipping tea as she looked at him.  
  
"Where have you been, Ranma? It's been eight months... without any   
word or mention! I've been worried about you... I even went back to the   
Tendos' to see if that father of yours had struck again, and found nothing   
except a crying man wailing about the schools never joining, a pair of   
still-grieving girls, and a blustering walking panda-steak.  
  
"G-gomen. I was... busy"  
  
She looked at him more intently and her expression softened   
somewhat.  
  
"Ah. I think I understand... are you feeling better?"  
  
"I think so. Actually, I spent most of the time training with a new   
sensei."  
  
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And does this teacher have a name?"  
  
"Ummm..." he flushed in embarrassment. "I never really asked, come   
to think of it." He scratched his head and laughed nervously.  
  
She smiled at his obvious discomfort at forgetting something like   
that.  
  
"So, what was he like? Did you learn anything?"  
  
'Manners, perhaps?' she thought. She loved her son, she really did,   
but there were some things that he just never seemed to learn.  
  
"Well, he was... well... different, I suppose..."  
  
He stopped, and then fished a scroll from his pack and gave it to her.  
  
"He said to give this to you."  
  
She turned it over and over a few time, and her eyebrows shot up when   
she saw the golden seal. Then, she carefully broke the wax and took a few   
minutes to peruse the letter. She then calmly folded it up, set it aside, and   
sat in thought for a moment.  
  
"What does it say?"  
  
She was slow in answering.  
  
"I think... that it's something that it would be best for you to find   
out when you're a bit older. Don't worry; your teacher is well-known to me -   
you're quite lucky, you must realize, to have him."  
  
"You KNOW him?"  
  
I've never met him, really, but I know OF him... perhaps I'll tell you   
more of him later. But first -"  
  
She pulled a familiar long bundle wrapped in rice paper from beside   
her and calmly unwrapped it, revealing the Saotome family sword.  
  
"I believe that this should be yours, Ranma."  
  
He caught his breath and carefully took it from her. He drew it a few   
inches and look at his shining reflection in the unmarred steel. Then he   
reverently slid it back in it's sheath and gave it back to her.  
  
"I'm not ready, mother... at least, not yet."  
  
She gave him a smile and she wrapped it back up and then stood up,   
drawing him to his feet. She embraced him for a moment, and then let go.  
  
"Stay in touch, Ranma... and find a girl, settle down, and give me   
grandchildren," she said with only a hint of a smile showing that she wasn't   
serious - at least, not completely.  
  
He nodded and gave her an answering grin.  
  
"I'll keep in touch... I donno about the girl though."  
  
**** end flashback ****  
  
It had gone extremely well, from his point of view, and afterwards he   
had found an apartment of his own in Juuban, another ward of Tokyo. It was   
rather small, but it was clean and inexpensive, as property was cheap in   
Juuban... similar, really, to Nerima in that respect; it was considered risky   
business to invest in real estate.  
  
He had paid for the first couple of months, but he needed to find a job, or   
jobs, to pay for food. Maybe he should take a walk before he unpacked...  
  
There was a knock at the door.   
  
'Odd... I just moved in here.'  
  
Curious, he opened to reveal... nobody. He looked around again, examining the   
halls. Still nobody. Strange. He would have heard it if someone had knocked   
and then run off as a prank.  
  
As he walked by into the apartment, shaking his head in puzzlement, he almost   
tripped over a small object on the floor in front of his door and caught himself.   
Bending down, he picked up a small box with a tiny scroll attached to the top, a   
miniature gold seal of some sort of other on it... he couldn't quite make out   
what it was.  
  
He closed the door and walked over to the table, where he set the box down and   
carefully unsealed the small scroll. There was a short message written in small   
delicate calligraphy, elaborate and exact in a black ink that seemed to have   
flecks of gold in it.  
  
'Ranma,  
This box holds the key to your past, and it is now time for you to open it.  
You will understand more afterwards. Good luck on your future... I see much  
excitement ahead of you.  
  
Shen Chih, Feng Dong Ti'  
  
Ranma frowned in bemusement. What kind of a name was that? "Spirit Owl?" And   
he called himself 'Feng Dong Ti' (Emperor of the East); he'd never heard of such   
a title, although it sounded kinda like one of his erstwhile opponents like   
Kirin, Saffron, or Herb would call themselves. And what exactly was this note   
talking about? His past? He already knew his past... it wasn't as if he had   
amnesia or something.  
  
The box was small, and made of a polished wood that gleamed with the light from   
the fixture. It had no apparent opening; only a set of eight ideograms arranged   
in order around the center, which held his name in elaborate calligraphy. It   
appeared to be a sort of puzzle box. He held it up in the light and examined it   
carefully, and then gripped two opposing corners and slid the front out about two   
millimeters. As he released the corners and set the box down, the top suddenly   
opened up, and the world disappeared in a blinding flash.  
  
****  
  
He spun in a world full of stars, with constantly changing constellations of   
lights spinning across his gaze. He felt... at ease. For over a year now he had   
been bothered by a sense of... incompleteness, as if he had, not forgotten   
something, exactly, but more that he should know something he couldn't quite grasp.   
Suddenly, the hazy dreams he'd had for much of his life, each disappearing and   
forgotten by his waking, made much more sense.  
  
His name was Ranma, or at least it was in this life time. He had died twice before;   
each time, he had retreated to the safety of the wheel of reincarnation, to be born   
again.  
  
His first life was one of a wandering warrior named Chyng Shan (loyal mountain) who   
sought to strengthen himself, to make his family, particularly his old-seeming (but   
very vigorous) great-grandfather, proud of his accomplishments, and to teach others   
to likewise strengthen themselves. Seeking enlightenment and the pinnacle of the   
spirit, he had studied under master after master, moving from martial arts to   
mysticism and back again, until he had found Chih Jing (trans: 'golden mirror').   
Chih Jing was an old man, looking well into his eighties, who taught him the true   
path to immortality; the path of enlightenment. The ultimate secret, for whom many   
had worked their whole lives. Some earched for a perfect alchemical poison to kill   
the death worms and corrupting agents of the body. Others made pacts with demons or   
worse. A few undertook a rigorous regime of meditation and suffering. All of them   
striving for the Ultimate Goal: to live eternally. Few succeeded in any measure;   
most died or simply failed. Nevertheless, or so Chih Jing had taught, the 'true'   
path to immortality was none of these. Ironically the answer was incredibly simple,   
yet difficult to understand, and without true understanding, the answer was worthless.   
Some called it the alchemy of the inside, or internal alchemy, for parts of the answer   
resembled an alchemical formulae. However, the exercise of the body and of the living   
chi was just as important. Only with the right combination of the body, mind, and   
spirit will true immortality come to the seeker.  
  
For over a decade he had struggled and worked; refusing to give up. After all, he had   
been unsurpassed as a fighter, and he was the best. He would not let this secret   
defeat him. But eventually, in the thirteenth year, he had thought it all a fake. He   
had told Chih Jing that he could not do it, and left the mountain in a cloud of shame.  
  
It was then that he had discovered the last piece of the puzzle, which suddenly pulled   
all the years of study together. The acknowledgement of one's failure, and the   
subsequent complete honesty about one's life was essential to learning to transcend it.  
  
Two days later, he ran back to the mountain where Chih Jing lived, to be greeted by the   
old man's smile and words of congratulation. He had never been so proud in his entire   
life.  
  
Chih Jing had cautioned him that the path to full enlightenment involved nine steps,   
but that once the first step was achieved, the rest became merely a matter of time. As   
long as one stood by one's principles and never stopped learning, the way was clear.  
||  
He had continued his studies, renewed with hope, which was bolstered by   
centuries of life without signs of aging or decay. He gradually ascended the   
steps of enlightenment, refining his body through will and exercise. When he   
reached the fourth refinement, he was told by Chih Jing to seek out the four   
Dragon Kings and earn their blessing. He first sought the Dragon King of the   
North, and found him in an abandoned monastery in the cold lands to the north and   
west, where the ground was covered with ice and snow for most of the year's cycle.   
Here he was given a test; to find the immortal named Yin Sha (silver shark), who   
had cheated the rulers of an ancient hell by hiding his heart and spirit away in a   
large ruby gem. Once he had found him, he was to convince him to go to his much-  
delayed fate, so that that the rulers of that hell could finally retire in peace.  
  
It had taken him several years of tracking to find the man, and when he had found   
him, he was able to make a bet with him. If he won two of three contests with Yin   
Sha, Yin Sha would peacefully go to his fate. If Yin Sha won, Chung Shan would   
never trouble him again, after serving him for two years time.  
  
He chose the first contest as a fight with bare hands and feet. He won that one,   
although with effort and not a little luck. The second contest, chosen by Yin Sha,   
was a similar fight, but with swords. As Chung Shan was relatively unused to the   
use of any weapon (considering them the way of the barbarian and the coward), he   
lost easily to the skilled blade of Yin Sha. The third contest was decided by   
consensus as a game of Wei Chi (AN: That's the game of 'Go', FYI). The game   
started at noon, and lasted until sunset, when it was decided that a break for   
sleep would be taken. The next day, as the sun rose, they ate together and again   
sat across from each other on the game board, the white and black stones shifting   
back and forth like the tide all day. Again, at sunset, they departed for sleep.   
Yet again, on the third day, they rose, ate a hearty breakfast together, and sat   
across from each other. First Chung Shan would gain an advantage, and then the   
white pieces of his oppoent would turn the tables. Finally, only an hour before   
the sun set, Chung Shan gained a decisive advantage over Yin Sha, and the game,   
and the contest, was his. His opponent had given him a low formal bow, and   
congratulated him on the win, and thanking him for a worthy game, before   
destroying the double-fist-sized ruby that held his mortality. With that, the   
task was finished, and Chung Shan traveled back to the house of the Bei Feng Long   
Wang (North Dragon King) to receive his blessing.  
  
Next he walked across the length of the Middle Country to the south, to search for   
the Nan Feng Long Wang (South Dragon King). He found his objective in an ornate   
cave near a still-active volcano on a small island south of the mainland. Here he   
received his test: to fetch the living heart of the nearby volcano, and retrieve it   
for the king. After he did so (which is a tale in itself), and received the fiery   
blessing of the South, he traveled north and west, to seek the Dragon King who   
resided there. In the mountains west of China, he received his third quest, to   
slay a nearby demon. Here, too, he received the King's Blessing, and headed to the   
East, to find the last Dragon King.  
  
Soon he came across a village that was familiar to him; in fact, it was where he   
grew up, centuries before. The Dragon King of the East lived in a cave in the   
mountain nearby, and his strode up the path to find his last quest.  
  
Before him stood the cave, and... and oddly familiar figure in front of it. He   
stopped, stunned with disbelief.  
  
"Great-Grandfather?"  
  
His great-grandfather smiled at him (it almost seemed like a smirk) and gestured   
for him to come in.  
  
"I was wondering how long it'd be before you'd decided to visit me. Come in, come   
in."  
  
Chung Shan numbly followed him in, and sat down at a table.  
  
"B-b-but..."  
  
He tried again.  
  
"Y-y-you..."  
  
He snapped his mouth shut and looked a mixture of deep embarrassment and total   
bewilderment.  
  
"So what are you here for, child?"  
  
"I-I-I seek the Dragon King of the East..."  
  
"Eh? So you think you're ready for the gift of the East Wind, eh?"  
  
"u-u-uh..."  
  
He told himself to stop stammering, but it wasn't working very well.  
  
"Answer me this: a simple question, really..." His great-grandfather paused for a   
moment, and then continued. "What is the meaning of your existance?"  
  
And with that, the old man suddenly disappeared, leaving Chung Shan behind, gaping   
like a fish out of water.  
  
After the nine days, he had come back with no answer in mind, and waited for the   
appointed time, dread in his heart. He knew that his great-grandfather would be   
displeased, and, feeling restless, he took a small walk to clear his mind. The   
question he had been asked haunted him, had haunted him for the whole time.  
  
'What is the meaning of my existance?'  
  
The question took on a far greater meaning than 'merely' pleasing his great-  
grandfather, who's nature he shided from thinking about (it brought up rather   
nervous questions regarding himself that he didn't feel it was quite time for him   
to ask). He had braced himself for a quest of some sort, invariably difficult or   
nigh-impossible. He had been ready for any test he could think of... a riddle, a   
game, anything.  
  
Except this. He had, once he'd recovered, thought it an easy question. But the   
answer he thought of in a minute, upon further reflection, was wrong. And so, each   
time he thought he had the answer, the meaning for his existance, it slipped away,   
leaving him behind. And as it slipped away, it was replaced by an immense sense of failure. What kind of man was he, who didn't know the meaning to his own life, his   
own being?  
  
The last of the four tests had struck him in a weak point he never knew he had in   
over six centuries of life.  
  
Reluctantly, he dragged himself back to the cave and sat down.  
  
"Do you have an answer for me?" A familiar aged voice spoke suddenly from behind   
him, sending him starting in surprise and shock. He turned to face his great-  
grandfather, and took a breath.  
  
"I-" he started, and then bowed his head in shame. "I couldn't find an answer,   
zengzufu (great-grandfather). Duibuchi (I am sorry)."  
  
The old man's eyes crinkled, and, amazingly enough, he smiled. "I would have been   
surprised if you had, boy. It's a question that isn't meant to be answered, if there   
is an answer, merely thought about. The real 'test' was long ago, as I watched you   
grow up."  
  
Chung Shan hesitated, and then braved the question that had been on his mind.   
"Ummm... are you..."  
  
"Really your great-grandfather? Most certainly. A dragon, the ruler of the East?   
Yes. Even dragons fall in love occasionally, child. Now get on with you... you   
still have things to learn."  
  
Again, the old man simply disappeared, his voice lingering for a moment. "I AM proud   
of you, great-grandson. Remember to look me up in a century or so..."  
  
****  
  
Shortly after, he had died for the first time. It hadn't been in a grand battle   
against a great foe, nor had it been some tragic tale of sacrifice. The only   
warning sign he had had was a shifting in the chi of his body, and then he had quickly failed.  
  
The medicine of the time would have seen it as some great curse or act of magic, but   
modern doctors had a different name for it... cancer. It had been a freak chance,   
some combination of unknown factors, and he had died. At the time, he, too, had   
thought it some work of some malignant magic or demon, and had spent his time hunting   
for such a perpetrator. If he had known at the time...  
  
But he didn't. Now, of course, he knew it's nature, and thus how to treat it. But at   
the time, he didn't know until it was too late for anything.  
  
His second life had been relatively peaceful. He had been found abandoned at the foot   
of a monastery in the foothills of northern china one morning, and had been raised by   
the monks. He had spent his early life learning the disciplines of the mind and the   
body, whether in the realms of scholarship and philosophy or on the fields of combat.   
Early on, his potential had been seen by the monks, who had pushed him to his limits   
and beyond.  
  
When the dreams had started along with the onset of puberty, the head of the   
monastery, named simply 'Ying' ('eagle', for his bird-like features) recognized them   
for what they were and sent a message to Chih Jing to ask him to take the boy, in  
this life named "Shan Ma" (mountain horse), under his wing while he awakened to the   
truth of his existance. Chih Jing arrived soon after, and Ying had introduced the two   
and told Shan Ma that he was to travel with Chih Jing until he reached maturity.   
Soon after he had regained all of his memories, he and Chih Jing had parted ways   
again, and he had set off on his ongoing quest for knowledge and martial prowess.  
  
That life had ended only eighteen years ago. He had moved to Japan a little before   
the second world war. Creating an identity and altering his appearance to appear as   
a suprisingly vigorous sixty-year-old man who taught at a small martial arts dojo in   
Nagasaki. He had lived through the atomic bomb dropped on the city, his previous   
encounter with cancer in his first life allowing him to cure the lingering effects of   
the radiation, and have moved instead to a nearby mountain. He had been fed up with   
the current actions of humanity, on all sides of the war to a greater or lesser extent,   
and had, for the most part, 'given up' on humankind in general. He would occasionally   
take the persistant student who came to learn from him, but aside from that had no   
human contact. When he felt lonely he would find a dragon or other spirit and talk or   
play Wei Chi. He spent a lot of his time perfecting his forms and pondering   
philosophy.  
  
One day, he had sensed an outbreak of demonic activity nearby, and had gone to   
investigate it. He arrived to find a great number of infernal spirits summoned by a   
reckless martial arts master named Happosai, who had merely been curious as to the   
purpose of a 3,000-year-old scroll. He arrived too late to seize the scroll, and had   
to fight against over two dozen demons, several of great power, including one of the   
dreaded Hei Lou Kung (Black Steel Centipedes), used by the Yama Kings long ago in   
their bid to take the Hells for their own.  
  
He had fought, bravely enough, but it was a doomed effort. Without the Hei Lou Kung,   
or if he had time to prepare himself beforehand, he might have been victorous. As it   
was, his dying attack had finished off the giant steel insect and killed the two other   
remaining demons.  
  
**** end flashback ****  
  
And now, he was in his third life. Ironically (or perhaps the whim of some powerful   
entity in the heavens), he had been born the son of one of Happosai's students. Sooner   
or later, a reckoning would have to be made.  
  
Now he was awake, a little early, perhaps, thanks to his teacher in this life (who,   
although he had never actually seen him in that form, he strongly suspected to be his   
great-grandfather). He really should say hello to Chih Jing before he did anything   
else, and find out what happened to the village after he had died. He really hoped that   
the portal had closed... at the time he hadn't been able to spare any energy to make   
sure.  
  
He put the box and the letter back down on the table and stretched. He felt better than   
he had in... well, almost twenty years.  
  
'Now... how could I find Chih Jing?' He knew that he could try a public search, or perhaps using more... esoteric... methods, but they were too public or too wasteful of   
energy. He remembered that Chih Jing often stayed in touch with various monasteries and   
temples, both on the mainland and in Japan, so perhaps the best way would be to inquire   
at the nearest temple.  
  
With that in mind, he looked in the phone book for the location of temples. There were   
three nearby... one was Bhuddist... two were Shinto. He looked on the map. The closest   
was one of the Shinto temples, and the other two were nearby, but in the opposite direction.  
  
He locked the door to the apartment and headed out. He'd try the closest first... it was getting a little bit late in the day.  
  
****  
  
Ranma walked down the street, consulting a piece of paper in his hand. It may   
have been closer than the other two, but it had still been quite a walk, and he   
had needed to ask directions twice before getting here.  
  
He stopped in front of the gate to a small temple. Yep... this was it. The   
Hikawa Shrine. He checked the piece of paper again. According to this, the   
priest's name was 'Hino'... Ranma hoped he was in.  
  
He paused and cocked his head. He felt something... odd inside the temple. It   
didn't feel quite like a demon or other resident of the Hells, but it definitely   
wasn't natural. He shruged. It probably was something to do with the shrine, a   
temple treaure or something. If it wasn't, he'd deal with it if he needed to.  
  
****  
  
Author's Note: Okay, here's the end of chapter two, and the start of the 'real' story... the rest being intro. The last little scene may change a bit... I'm not quite satisfied with it. The matchup with Ranma will most likely be either Setsuna or Makoto, I think. I inserted a few words of chinese (with translations in paratheses) to make the feel of the story flow better... I hope nobody minds. The two series I'm crossing, as noted at the start, are Ranma and Sailor Moon, but I'm borrowing heavily in materials from the Palladium Books RPG Sourcebook "Mystic China," particularly in the idea of the "Enlightened Immortal," the usage of chi, and the ideology of the Infernal Hells, ect. Comments/Criticism are welcome at deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com 


	4. Chapter Three

Through the Eyes of a Dragon  
(Ranma 1/2, Palladium Games, and Sailor Moon Crossover)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them; wish I did...  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Ranma walked up the steps and inside the temple. Inside was a group of girls that suddenly went   
quiet when they saw him. Probably gossiping or something. He shrugged.  
  
One of them, with long black hair and dressed in temple robes, stood up and walked over to him.  
  
"Yes? Is there something I can do for you?"  
  
"Umm... yes. I'm looking for Hino-san. Is he here?"  
  
"My grandfather is out on an errand right now; he'll be back shortly."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. He'd wait. He gave a slight polite bow. "I'll wait outside then. Thank   
you."  
  
As he walked back outside he could he whispers behind him.  
  
"... cute..."  
  
"looks just like... sempai..."  
  
"... is he..."  
  
He rolled his eyes. He thought he had gotten away from all this. Great... just great... He sat   
down at the base of the steps and closed his eyes in meditation. A week ago he wouldn't have   
bothered... but he was different now. Meditation cleared the mind, and he still had a few cobwebs   
to wipe away.  
  
He heard a man approach. Opening his eyes briefly, he noticed that it was too young to be Hino-  
san, and then closed them again. Then his brow creased and he opened them again. There was   
something odd... yet familiar... about the young man. He searched his memories for a match.   
Nothing... hmmm... there was still a strange 'tang' to the man that bothered him. It was as if   
there was something overlaying the man's chi... something like...  
  
He started and cursed, before standing up and hurrying back up the steps. He knew he didn't have   
all his memories together yet, but he should have remembered what that overlay meant.  
  
Possessed. And most possessive entities weren't all that friendly.  
  
He entered the door of the temple and halted. There was the man, now obviously (to Ranma) a   
Possessed One, being held at bay by the priest's grand-daughter, who had a calligraphed ward in her   
hand. It seemed that he had been discovered by her, and had taken a hostage; one of the blond   
girls... the one without the ridiculous hairdo. At the moment it was a stalemate, with the other   
girls clustered behind the black-haired one.  
  
The Possessed One gave him a brief glance. "Don't try anything, warrior. I'm immune to anything   
you could try," he snarled, and gave a brief motion towards his temple, where a crude beaten gold   
circlet made in an ancient style perched.  
  
Ranma gave a quiet curse as he saw that. He was really out of it if he hadn't noticed something   
like that... it was a powerful magical talisman meant to protect the wearer from any and all   
physical impacts. There were six made, and four had been destroyed in the centuries since their   
creation. This severely limited his options, and if he were just the simple warrior the Possessed   
One thought, he'd be helpless.  
  
The young-appearing man smirked at Ranma's discomfiture. "I see you recognize this little   
trinket... This isn't any of your concern, so kindly step back outside and go away."  
  
Ranma quickly reviewed possible options. He was caught rather flat-footed and hadn't had time to   
prepare anything. He couldn't try a purely physical attack or a pressure-point strike to try to   
get the hostage away, because of that circlet. He doubted he could use his chi abilities to simply   
overwhelm the other, as the entity that powered his opponent was of unknown power, maybe even more   
powerful than him. Unlikely, though... he was the best, or nearly so, after all. Most things he   
could try would give a warning, and with a hostage, any warning wasn't acceptible.  
  
Wait a minute... the circlet blocked physical attacks and living forms of chi, but could be   
overwhelmed with enough power. However, that level of power would likely take too long to summon   
and apply, and would possibly cause fallout. So first, he would have to get the hostage and the   
other girls (potential hostages) out of here. Now how...  
  
Inside, he smirked, being careful to keep it from showing on his face. He made himself looked   
surprised, puzzled, and undecided as he just stood there. Meanwhile, he carefully drew in a deep   
breath, and exhaled it slowly. With the air from his mouth and lungs carried a faint darkish mist,   
which quickly grew far faster than the breeze to fill the room, dimming it slightly.  
  
The Possessed One blinked and looked around. Clearly he saw that SOMETHING was up, but didn't   
know what it was. Unfortunately, Ranma couldn't use this method, the gift of one of the dragon   
kings, directly against him, but he could use it to pull the girls out of here.  
  
Ranma straightened and gave the Possessed One a gleeful grin. "I don't think so."  
  
The Possessed One gave him a puzzled look. "Why, do you think you can actually do anything at   
all, let alone before I can kill this girl?"  
  
Ranma continued to smirk. "I don't need to." And with that, he concentrated a moment, and the   
hostage, along with the others, suddenly disappeared. The mist filling the room suddenly darkened,   
and Ranma took in another deep breath, pulling the cloud composed of his immortal chi back inside   
of him.  
  
He settled into a ready stance facing the Possessed One. "Now that that's out of the way... care   
to try something else?"  
  
He watched his opponent run the gamut from puzzled, confused, and frightened, to angry and,   
well... ticked off.  
  
The real opponent here was the circlet, which protected the other from any physical damage, among   
other things. The opponent himself may not even have any but the most basic martial training. The   
Possessed Ones were immortals, of a type. The first kind of immortal were those who tried to   
prolong their lives by the balance and manipulation of their chi, or by draining chi from a   
particular source. Both Cologne and Happosai used this method, with Happosai using the chi gained   
from outraged women and their undergarments, and Cologne keeping a constant balance (which was why   
he had never seen her using a crude chi-blast like the Moko Takabisha, which relied on an imbalance   
of chi). A few of those used chi to keep their deceased corpse alive. The second kind were those   
who struck deals with demons or other entities. Some became demonic immortals, while others   
accepted a powerful and immortal entity to possess them, gaining power and immortality in exchange   
for the use of their body. The man before him was one of the latter. Most of such people desired   
immortality, but weren't disciplined enough to work for it, desiring an 'easy' path.  
  
Among the ranks of the immortals, there were also a rare few who were the product of ancient   
alchemical formuli, which were designed to 'kill' the mortal part of the body, leaving the rest   
ageless. There were a few other paths, but there most powerful was that of Ranma's path, the 'path   
of enlightenment' or 'internal alchemy,' as it was sometimes called. Instead of concocting deadly   
poisonous mixtures, internal alchemy worked by using special exercises to alter the organs of the   
body into producing the desired "elixir of immortality."  
  
****  
  
Cologne sighed as she finished the last order of ramen for the lunch rush. "Shampoo, order to   
table six!"  
  
She had had great fun this past year. For a long time she had despaired of finding a real student,   
one that could learn everything she had to teach. So few of the younger amazons these days had the   
discipline and determination to master any but a small handful of techniques. Shampoo, her own great-  
grand-daughter, was the best of her generation, and perhaps in a few decades she would become a   
worthy successor.  
  
When she had heard that Shampoo had been defeated, she had at first hoped that it would be a   
sufficient challenge for the young girl to push herself hard enough. Then, when Shampoo had come   
back with the news that the girl who had defeated her was actually a boy, and that he had defeated her   
yet again...  
  
She had been ecstatic. There were not that many fighters in the world that could match the best of   
the amazons, and Shampoo was the best of her age group. With a marriage between Shampoo and this   
outsider, the tribe would receive much-needed fresh blood. She knew that genetics and heredity were   
not the most important aspects of martial ability (with the exception of the Musk and a few others),   
but someone with the level of skill needed to defeat Shampoo, and at a similar age could easily teach   
their children.  
  
When she had returned in failure, Shampoo had been punished with a Jusenkyo curse. Not for failing   
to kill the outsider; the kiss of death was not mandatory, and more a matter of pride than of legal   
responsibility. No, Shampoo was cursed for letting such a prize get away.  
  
Besides, a Jusenkyo curse wasn't necessarily permanent... there were ways around the curse, and   
after a few decades, the curse would be weak enough to be dispelled under most circumstances.   
Unfortunately for the prospective son-in-law, the springs that did NOT weaken over time were the ones   
for intelligent beings... such as the Nynniichuan.  
  
So she brought Shampoo back to Nerima, where this 'Ranma' lived, and found to her surprise, that he   
had more potential than she herself once did... and Cologne was one of the best warriors of all the   
amazon villages, and had been for almost a century.  
  
She had started teaching him a few techniques, and watches as he handled challenge after challenge.   
Sometimes he would lose, but never more than once, and he refused to accept any defeat. She had   
known, after teaching him the Chestnut Fist and fighting him in the neko-ken, that he wouldn't marry   
Shampoo, not as long as Akane was around. She didn't know if he would end up marrying the girl or   
not, but until he decided one way or the other, Shampoo didn't have a choice.  
  
By that point, she didn't mind as much as she once might have, although she kept on insisting that   
he should marry Shampoo. After all, if she didn't, he would think she was up to something. He had   
grown on her, and she had been determined to get him into the tribe, if she had to adopt all three   
of the Tendo daughters and Ukyo Kounji. He didn't necessarily have to marry Shampoo, really. As   
long as she got him and whatever children he may have into the tribe, the tribe would be   
strengthened.  
  
Now... now she might have to give up on the whole idea. Ranma had effectively disappeared after   
that last attempt. She could have told him that it wouldn't have worked. Oh, she could probably   
locate him, but unless he wanted to be found it wouldn't do much good. After all, he had to be   
willing to become part of the tribe, and he wouldn't do anything now until he had finished grieving   
for the Tendo girl.  
  
Cologne hopped (pogo'ed, really) over to the cabinet to get some more spices out, and then nearly   
fell off her staff. She felt a tremendous surge of chi being used a small distance to the west. At   
first, she had feared that Herb was back and upset about something, and then she recognized the   
signature.  
  
Son-in-l - Ranma. But when she met him last, he had nowhere near this amount of power, perhaps a   
twentieth or thirtieth of it at the most. Ignoring all questions of how he got this kind of power,   
what would he need to use it for?  
  
Cologne squinted in that direction and estimated distances. Most likely he was fighting with   
someone. She quickly found Shampoo and told her that she had to take care of something, and pogoed   
off.  
  
****  
  
Ranma and his opponent cautiously circled each other. Ranma knew what he was facing; the original   
human, without the possessing entity's support, was little trouble. Likewise, even with the entity's   
assistance, Ranma didn't feel it was difficult to win. However, the magical circlet made things much   
more difficult. In effect, the other couldn't do anything that Ranma couldn't counter, but most of   
what Ranma could do (physical force or the impact of various forces of chi) would be blocked by the   
enchanted ornament. There were a few ways to destroy such things, but he didn't have the tools   
necessary for most of them. If he had his staff, perhaps... but he hadn't had time to retrieve it.  
  
The first step would be to separate the enemy from his source of power. While it wouldn't do   
anything directly about the circlet, it would cause enough confusion to attempt to deal with it. In   
addition, if he had been possessed for long enough...  
  
His train of thought was abruptly derailed as the other lunged at him with an inhumanly swift fist,   
trying to break his neck through sheer impact. He dodged the first three, but the follow-up kick   
caught him by surprise and threw him against the temple wall, which creaked and cracked slightly from   
the impact. Quickly gathering his breath, he struck out in return, his aura glowing a protective   
white color as he blurred across the floor. Each of the two exchanged hundreds of blows in the space   
of a minute, each impact being eliminated by the other's protective mechanisms; the Possessed One   
with the circlet, and Ranma with the shining phoenix-granted animus of metal.  
  
Ranma finally got his opponent backed up in the position he had been waiting for, and then struck,   
but not directly at his enemy. Instead, his two hands thrust out at the other's face, only to shoot   
out to the sides an instant before impacting against the Possessed One's nose, while he gave a focused   
shout. With a brilliant flash of light and a crackle of miniature thunder, the 'blow of the supreme   
enlightenment,' a specialized ten hsueh (atemi) move developed by a reclusive order of monks who   
fought against the most insidious demons... those who took the bodies of the innnocent and used them   
as they willed. The strike was designed to force out any possessing entity, and Ranma had hoped that   
it would even work on one willingly accepted.  
  
The body staggered back in shock, visibly aging as the years that had been defied by the possessing   
spirit took their long-delayed revenge. Meanwhile, Ranma persued the fleeing spirit, appearing as a   
kind of dragon-like amorphous shape, but with a scorpion's tail instead of a serpent's. With the   
entity away from the protection of both body and circlet, it would be easier to destroy.  
  
Ranma gathered together his chi in a manner similar to the 'Moko Takabisha,' which had been inspired   
both by Ryouga's depression-fuel blast and a few disjointed memories from what he now knew was his   
previous life. Thrusting it forward along with his hands, he sent forth a crackling blast of pure   
energy, which reacted to the negative chi in the entity he had brought to bay violently. Seeing the   
malevolent spirit stunned, he changed tactics and sent forth a similar blast, except of the reversed   
kind of chi. As the twin bursts of yin and yang (positive and negative) chi reached the glowing shape,   
it disappeared in a cataclysmic burst that lit the surrounding area with a blaze of light far brighter   
than daylight and shook the buildings and streetlights with the power of an earthquake.  
  
Ranma slowly brought his hands down and took a deep breath, and then walked back inside to check on   
the former host. By this time, the no-doubt either foolish or genuinely evil man who had been suckered   
by or had struck a deal with the being possessing it was quite dead, of old age long denied. He took   
the circlet off of the body's head; now that the man had died, the oversized ring could be removed by   
another. He inspected it for a moment, noting the once shining diamond was now cracked and the   
brilliant gold of the band tarnished. He stuck it in his pocket to dispose of it later.  
  
He prepared to summon the girls back from their frozen residence in his body, but halted as he felt a   
rather familiar presence coming down the street. It was the old ghou - Cologne. He sighed and stepped   
back outside to say hello. He should have expected her to feel it.  
  
*****  
  
Author's Note: This looks like a good place to stop for the end of chapter three... you like?   
deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com  
  
The technique Ranma used is one of the abilities granted by the Dragon Kings during the fourth step of his particular path of immortality. It's called the "Funereal Cloud of Living Chi" and it can render most people down to thier chi, so they effectively 'disappear' into the mist. He can then draw it back inside, and then release those trapped later. To them, no time would have past. If you want more information, read "Mystic China" by Palladium Books. The 'enlightenment strike' he uses is also from Mystic China (it throws possessive entities from a host), along with the 'Living Animus of Elemental Metal' (the white glow), which protects from physical impacts (It's one of the powers granted by the phoenix in the fifth step of enlightened immortality). The last move is a mixture of the two sides of the 'spirit burst' Zenjorike power and stuff of my own devising.  
  
And for the question of why the other girls didn't transform... the hostage (Minako). It takes time to transform, remember.  
  
Oh, and as for the matchup... I've decided what I'm going to do. Buuuuutt.... (starts to use a sing-song voice) I'm not going to tell you! I'm not going to tell you! Biidah!  
  
... besides, I don't want to spoil what little surprise it may be... 


	5. Chapter Four

Through the Eyes of a Dragon  
(Ranma 1/2, Palladium Games, and Sailor Moon Crossover)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them; wish I did...  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Ranma waited for the one he knew would arrive momentarily. His breathing   
slowed as the adrenaline that had coursed through his veins during the fight   
was washed out of his system. He took the time to look himself over. Not a   
scratch. He grinned momentarily, which then quickly faded. He didn't know   
what Cologne would do. He felt pretty sure he could handle whatever she might   
choose to throw at him, but that wasn't the point. He was tired of all the   
fighting and schemes and such. He sat down by the entrance to the temple   
grounds and waited. Sure enough, he could see a familiar-looking figure   
hopping down the street on a staff at a respectable clip.  
  
Cologne stopped in front of him and looked him over. "Why, hello, son-in-  
law. Fancy seeing you here." She took in the small marks of battle, the small   
scuff on his shirt and the slight rapidly-fading discoloration on his left cheek.   
"I see I missed the... excitement."  
  
Ranma snorted slightly. "Not that much excitement, old ghoul. And stop   
calling me son-in-law." It was almost habit by now, or perhaps a small joke   
between the two. She called him son-in-law, and he called her an old ghoul and   
told him to stop calling him son-in-law, which she always brushed off.  
  
She cocked her head at him and grinned. "Whatever you say, son-in-law.   
Whatever you say." Then her face grew more serious. "What happened here? I   
could feel it all the way from the Nekohanten."  
  
Ranma's grin also lessened. "I'm not quite sure. Some guy showed up and   
tried to take some girl hostage. He wasn't really a martial artist, but he had   
this on his head." He took out the circlet, the gem in the middle now dull and   
cracked.  
  
Cologne's eyes widened slightly in startlement. She recognized what it was;   
one of her many duties was to find and destroy such things. By making the wearer   
immune to physical harm and resistant to chi attacks, it posed a danger to the   
amazons, or to anyone else that relied on chi and martial prowess to protect   
themselves. The only ways to destroy it was to either kill the wearer (and thus   
release the trapped spirit), which was extraordinarily difficult, or to toss it   
in a volcano or a similar source of great elemental heat, which either destroyed   
it or buried it forever; nobody was quite sure which (and it was mostly   
irrelevant; either way it was out of reach).  
  
"I... see. And how, exactly, did you manage to defeat him, then?"  
  
He smirked. He had wanted to do this to her for quite a while. "That... is a   
secret."  
  
She gave him a small mock-glare, and he sobered up. "He was... not quite human.   
Possessed, I think. I had learned a while back... a move which was designed to   
drive out possessing entities and I used it on him; it doesn't require physical   
contact and it works a little differently from most chi techniques. When I did,   
he suddenly shriveled up and died of old age."  
  
She gave a small sigh. "And the possessing spirit? I assume that what I had   
felt was you doing something to it?"  
  
His characteristic smirk was back. "Of course. I am the best, after all."  
  
She gave him a considering look, and then gave it up. She'd find out later   
what was so different about him. Patience, after all, was an asset.  
  
His smirk disappeared, and he looked earnestly at her. "Are you really serious   
about my marrying Shampoo?"  
  
She frowned at him. That was an unexpected question. Still, it wouldn't cost   
her anything to answer. "Not quite, son-in-law. I wouldn't mind if you did, but   
by now I think it'd be a lost cause."  
  
He was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected her to say that; he had just   
asked her on a whim. "So why do you still call me son-in-law? Why haven't you   
taken Shampoo back to China, then?"  
  
"Shampoo needs to learn her own lessons. When she had either found someone   
else or given up, then, perhaps, we will return. And as for the other..." Here   
she grinned. "I just enjoy teasing you, son-in-law. After all, one must have   
something fun to do when you're my age, and I'm not about to go underwear-  
stealing like Happi."  
  
He gawked at her for a moment, his jaw agape, before he recovered and closed it   
with an audible snap. "Errr... could you ..."  
  
She continued to grin, amused at his surprise. "Not tell Shampoo where you are?   
Of course. If she finds out on her own, though... you'll have to deal with it   
yourself."  
  
"While you sit back and enjoy the show?"  
  
"Exactly, son-in-law. Exactly" Cologne started hopping back down the street,   
leaving Ranma still gaping a little by the temple gate.  
  
"... ..."  
  
Ranma shook himself. He didn't know how she managed to get him off balance every   
time; even now, with him remembering centuries of experience and a longer life than   
Cologne, she still could shake him up. He paused and frowned. There was something   
he was forgetting... something...  
  
He smacked himself in the head and shook it. The girls! He completely forgot   
about them.  
  
He concentrated again on the immortal power that surged through his lungs and   
breath, and then exhaled, clouding the area with a slightly greyish fog. His brow   
furrowed, and the forms of chi that he had "stored" in his own manifested in the   
darkish mist and solidified into the forms of the five girls that had been in the   
temple earlier.  
  
'Oops... should've done this inside the temple... oh, well'  
  
As the shapes formed, it was apparent that they were... asleep?  
  
"That wasn't supposed to happen..." he muttered, and then shrugged. They didn't   
seem to be harmed or anything; just asleep. Probably for the best, really.  
  
He left them where they were (he wasn't about to try to move them and have them   
come awake in his arms on him at the worst possible moment... that's a good way to   
get malleted), and walked back inside the temple to wait for the priest. When he   
got inside, though, he found someone else, curled up with her arms around her knees   
staring at the fire.  
  
She was quite pretty, almost beautiful if she smiled, and her long green hair fell   
all the way to the floor as she was sitting. She was staring at the fire, curled up   
into a ball and rocking a little as she looked at it. She looked upset, like she was   
about to cry or something.  
  
Ranma blinked. "Errr... excuse me? Is there a problem or something?"  
  
Still staring at the fire, she absently answered in a tone almost dangerously (and   
pathetically) dead, devoid of any emotion or command. "Everything... everything..."   
She almost whispered, as if to herself.  
  
Ranma didn't really understand. "Ummmm... if you're here to see those girls,   
they're out... side?"  
  
Almost as soon as he mention the girls, she was standing up, and when he mentioned   
their location, she was out the door at a speed he would have envied when trying to   
learn the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken. Curious, he walked outside after her. He found   
her bending over one of them, the one with the Shampoo-like hairdo and checking her   
over.  
  
"Don't worry," he said, coming up behind her. "They're all asleep, for some reason."   
Her body sagged backwards against him for a moment in relief, and then she straightened   
up and fixed him with an unreadable look.  
  
"How'd they get here?" she asked, sharply.  
  
He gave a semi-vague gesture. "Err... I don't know?" It wasn't the best thing to   
say, and it was clear she knew he wasn't telling the truth.  
  
Fortunately, they were interrupted by the belated arrival of an old man.  
  
"Yes, can I help you?"  
  
"Are you Hino-san?"  
  
"Why, yes, I do believe I am. If you'd wait for me to put these away," he gestured   
with the bags in his arms. Ranma nodded.  
  
The woman he had found in the temple gave him another unreadable look.  
  
"Errr... what's your name?"  
  
Still that look. He was getting just a little uncomfortable with this. He shook his   
head slightly and walked back into the temple. He didn't know why she gave him that   
look, and didn't really like it, even if she was cute.  
  
He halted for a moment at that thought.  
  
'Uh, uh. No way are you going to get wrapped up in some new problems with girls, just   
after you got away from the last set. No way. Even if she IS kinda cute.'  
  
He smacked himself in the head for that last little piece, and then waited for Hino-san.   
He didn't have long to wait; after a few minutes, the old man walked into the room.  
  
"Now, what can I do for you, yuong man?"  
  
"I wish to send a message to a man named 'Chih Jing.' Do you know where he might be?"  
  
The priest blinked. "Why yes, I do know of him. Last I heard, he lived in a monastery   
in China. If you want to send a letter, I could dig up the address for the head of the   
monastery."  
  
Now it was Ranma's turn to blink. He didn't think it'd be this easy to find his old   
mentor. "That'd be great."  
  
As the old man started looking through a large stack of old papers, he called over his   
shoulder without looking, "So why do you want to send him a message? He's getting to be an   
old man by now, older than me, even."  
  
"It's... a private matter. Nothing bad or anything."  
  
"Ah... family duty?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
The old priest straightened up. "Here it is. Just send your letter to this address, and   
it should get there eventually.  
  
Ranma thanked him and turned to leave, then stopped, remembering a sign he had seen outside.   
"You said you needed a temporary helper?"  
  
The old man cracked a small smile. "Yes. My normal helper had to take a small vacation to   
settle some family affairs. Why? Are you interested?"  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
The smile grew a little wider. "Come by tomorrow to start. You have school?"  
  
"Err, no, but I need to take care of some business in the morning."  
  
"That's okay, young man."  
  
Ranma quickly walked out of the temple, going past the girl from before and the sleepers, who   
were starting to show signs of waking.  
  
He had forgotten about school. He'd have to see about testing out or something...  
  
  
Behind him, Setsuna Meiou, also know as Sailor Pluto, took a moment from worrying over her   
charges to give him yet another unreadable look. Ironically, it was 'unreadable' to her, either.   
She didn't know what to make of him. She had been awakened from a nap by the sudden potential   
'death' of one or more of the senshi in the time line. Frantically, she had transformed and   
teleported to the temple, only to find them all gone, and she couldn't sense them anywhere.  
  
She still didn't know what happened, but she was sure that he was involved in some way, and   
she didn't know how to feel about that...  
  
****  
  
Ranma opened the door to his small apartment, and warily scanned it before entering.   
He half-expected somone to be lying in ambush for him; after his year at the Tendos', his   
nerves were still shot, and paranoia was still an ingrained reflex.  
  
He exhaled with relief as he lowered himself into a chair. Although in quite good   
condition physically, his body wasn't quite used to channeling that amount of energy at one   
time yet, and he felt worn out.  
  
There had been no witnesses, aside from the girls, who were effectively out of it,   
so he didn't expect to be linked with the 'incident,' but he still didn't like the potential   
for publicity. He doubted that Nabiki would make a serious effort to find him, even if paid   
by one of those who're still chasing after him back in Nerima (or elsewhere), but there were   
other ways to find out his location if he wasn't careful.  
  
He couldn't hide for his whole life (or the next few decades of it); that would be   
admitting defeat. And although he hadn't always won in his centuries of life, he had never   
been truly defeated... and he wasn't about to start now.  
  
On the other hand, it would be foolish to go out of his way to paint a giant target   
on his back.  
  
He got up and padded over to his futon, spread out in a corner of the main room, and   
collapsed. He needed to recuperate and restore his somewhat depleted energies. Tomorrow   
he'd visit the local school, and see about testing for a diploma. {AN: I don't know if Japan   
has something similar to the adult GED or not, but... (shrug)}  
  
As he drifted off, he dreamt of the day's events and of his older memories. For some   
reason, he kept seeing crimson eyes looking at him throughout his dreams. And even odder, he   
didn't seem to mind one bit.  
  
****  
  
In a crystal-studded cave, a large serpentine figure moved slightly to get a better   
view of the scene being shown in the small pool. As he raised his head to adjust his position   
to a more comfortable one, he knocked a small piece of clear crystal off the ceiling. It   
dropped into the water, causing ripples to cross the features of his great-grandson.  
  
Then he shifted again, rocking back and ignoring the sleeping young man to think. He   
hadn't had this much excitement since his times long ago spent wandering the world (or, at   
least, this hemisphere); now he could understand the modern culture's fascination with   
television. Adventure by proxy...  
  
He was satisfied with his heir's progress; the boy made him proud. Now... he needed to   
find him a girlfriend; after all, he wanted great-great grandchildren. Was that too much to   
ask for?  
  
Maybe one of those girls from the shrine? They certainly were pretty enough, and there   
was something about them...  
  
He looked back down at the pool, and with a thought set it to scan the past, following   
that group of girls. When he was done, he blinked. So... these were the famous Senshi, eh? He   
remembered that 'Moon Kingdom'; he had been young when it was founded. Not a bad place, on the   
whole; he hadn't been that concerned with it, since his domain was of the Earth, and the Earth   
had never been part of the Silver Millenium; by treaty, the motherworld was inviolate.  
  
It was odd that modern society had absolutely no idea about that era of history; humans'   
over-reliance on physical technology and their disbelief in magic, however, made it perhaps   
inevitable. Only the legends of lost civilizations far more advanced than any other at the time,   
such as 'Atlantis,' and 'Avalon,' gave any hint that once the world was full of magic and magic-  
based technology. The fall of the Silver Millenium, and the act of it's queen, had done more   
than it should have, wiping any trace of such civilizations from the face of the earth, leaving   
only myths and legends in their place.  
  
Hmmm... any of these would be a suitable mate, then; powerful enough to stand up to him,   
and immortal to boot. That was important; he himself still felt a pang of loss whenever he   
thought of Ranma's great-grandmother, and he would spare his heir that pain.  
  
One of them already had a boyfriend she was fairly serious about, and two of the others   
were very much involved with each other. That left six prospects. One was a touch too young   
to consider for now; perhaps in a few years. He reviewed each of the choices and then stopped   
at one. Perfect! Absolutely perfect! And even if they didn't turn out perfect... there were   
always the others!  
  
He took a moment to gloat as he decided how to approach this... Oh, this was going to   
be fun!  
  
****  
  
Ranma unconsciously sneezed, and if he were awake, would have felt a sudden inexplicable   
chill. Likewise, so did a particularly lonely Senshi.  
  
****  
  
The no-longer-very-ghostly figure, mow of an old man (he needed hands at the moment),   
rummaged through a large wooden chest at the very back of his cave, tossing bottles, weapons, and   
oddly shaped objects aside in his search for the perfect...  
  
"Aha! Thought it was in here somewhere..."  
  
He held up a small vial made of dark pink crystal. Inside, a somewhat obscured liquid   
shimmered with golden sparkles.  
  
"That girl, whats-her-name... 'Ard' or 'Ird' or something... gave me this... said it was   
the ultimate in love potions... just the thing..."  
  
Then he frowned for a moment, lost in thought.  
  
"Maybe it'd be better for me to let them fall in love on their own?"  
  
He paused for a long moment, then shook his head incredulously.  
  
"Naaah... they'd never get around to it."  
  
With that, he drew a pair of 2-inch wide circular arcane designs in the floor of the cave.   
Each was designed to function as a dimensional "shortcut" between two points, namely the particular   
spot in the floor and a glass of water beside each of the two targets. He drew a small eyedropper   
from the vial, and careful applied a single drop to the center of each design, and the nwatched in   
satisfaction as the drops disappeared a moment before hitting the stone. He glanced at the pool,   
where he saw his great-grandson stirring and picking up the glass that stood by his bedside. He   
switched to the second 'victim' in time to watch her drinking from a similar glass before falling   
back to sleep.  
  
He chuckled for a moment, and then leaned back.  
  
"I'm such a genius!"  
  
****  
  
Ranma woke up, feeling parched and thirsty, and grabbed for the glass he had left by his bed.   
He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. Three in the morning...   
  
He frowned as he held the glass in front of him. There was something odd tugging at the back   
of his mind... something about sleep... dreams...   
  
Nightmares. Or rather, the lack of them. For the first time in a long time, he didn't have   
any. He didn't know how to feel about that, really.  
  
Suddenly, he sneezed, and the plastic 'glass' of water that he'd been holding slipped and   
fell, bouncing off the floor, spilling it's contents all over. He scowled and walked over to the   
bathroom to get another, before getting back into bed and his much-needed sleep. He'd clean it up in   
the morning.  
  
****  
  
Meanwhile, in a home shared by four people, three adults and a single child (teenager, really),   
Setsuna Meiou drank a glass of water before collapsing back onto her bed. Today (well, yesterday), had   
almost been a disaster. She still didn't know exactly what happened, only that for a short time, the   
Senshi had simply disappeared from the timeline, almost as if they had died. Yet, when she went   
looking for them, she had found them napping in front of the shrine.  
  
They hadn't known much more than her; they had said something about being in the shrine when   
someone had run in and grabbed Minako. Nothing else; after that, they had found themselves where she'd   
found them. It was odd, to say the least, most likely some sign of yet another unforeseen enemy. She was   
feeling so incredibly tired...  
  
****  
  
Down the hall, Haruka Tenou finished off her glass of water before getting back into bed. She   
snuggled up to her bedmate, suddenly feeling exceptionally affectionate for some odd reason.  
  
****  
  
Author's Note: The last part was mainly for the purposes of comic relief, as well as an attempt to   
jump-start my muse. I've been not writing a whole lot in the past week plus a bit, so I feel vaguely   
guilty. There might be a bit more to this chapter, though; we'll see what my muse says. Any comments   
welcome (well, almost any... critiques of my possible ancestry and personal habits are a wee bit out   
of line, IMESHO) deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com  
  
In addition, I'm trying to set up a new web page at www.anifics.com   
(sunhawk.anifics.com/index.html). It's slow going because I'm writing it in raw html in Notepad,   
and I've never been exceptionally good at that. It's up, kinda, but not a whole lot of material   
on it. Maybe it'll be up to date by the end of the month... or next month, knowing my habits. 


	6. Chapter Five a

Through the Eyes of a Dragon  
(Ranma 1/2, Palladium Games, and Sailor Moon Crossover)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them; wish I did...  
  
Chapter 5a  
  
As the sun rose, the early morning light shone off   
of a figure standing on the roof of an apartment building,   
frozen in a position of repose.  
  
Suddenly, at some unseen cue, the figure resumed   
motion, gliding through an ancient and stylized kata   
designed to stretch and center the attention; a meditation   
kata. The slow and smooth movements, reminescient of Tai   
Chi Chuan in their graceful arcs, hypnotized the eye. Block   
turned to strike, and kicks flowed into stances in a flawless   
display of Art. As he moved, faint traceries of light could   
be barely be seen following the movement of his limbs, and   
his closed eyes saw the lightening world through darkened lids.  
  
He stopped, and then switched to a more energetic form.   
His body still flowed with awe-inspiring grace and smoothness,   
but the pace was much more rapid, resembling a one-sided combat   
with an invisible figure.  
  
As the city around him woke up, Ranma stopped his forms   
and hopped down off the roof to the balcony of his apartment   
below, his shoulder-length hair no longer in his trademark   
pigtail, but free.  
  
He fixed himself a quick breakfast (a small pile of   
toast and a few eggs) before taking a bath and changing into   
his clothes for the day. Grabbing the papers he'd need for   
identification later, he set off for the local school, Juuban   
High.  
  
****  
  
Elsewhere in Tokyo, another figure was up with the dawn.   
Unlike the first, this one was a very short and wizened old man,   
and a notorious pervert.  
  
Happosai woke up in a bed made up of women's   
undergarments - his normal sleeping arrangements. The first   
hour or so he spent going through his "treasures," rubbing each   
one against his face in a rather... disturbing... fashion.  
  
His morning ablutions done, the wrinkled grandmaster of   
the Anything Goes School bounced downstairs to get breakfast   
from Kasumi, who had been up an hour before he.  
  
He had almost exhausted the possibilities of the silky   
darlings in Nerima... perhaps it was time to move on to fresher   
ground today.  
  
****  
  
Ranma locked his apartment and started walking towards   
where Hino-san had indicated the local high school was.  
  
As he passed by an alley, he noticed a rather small cat   
picking through a garbage can. A week ago the sight would have   
sent him screaming for the hills, but the neko-ken didn't have   
all that much effect on him any more.  
  
The reason the process for learning the dreaded   
"cat-fist" was so simple (tossing the poor sap into a pit of   
starving cats) was because it only worked with those who already   
had already-developed chi-manipulation abilities. The victim   
had to be very young for the process to successfully mold his   
(or her) mind in the proper ways. Thus the emulation of a feral   
cat when in the aroused state. In essence, the "true power" of   
the neko-ken was simply an inborn or already-trained (at a very   
young age) knack for using chi, combined with a rather odd kind   
of panic attack caused by the sight or sound of a cat.  
  
Thus the treatment for the condition was simple; expose   
the traumatized person to cats that AREN'T hungry and trying to   
claw them apart to survive. Unfortunately, those who   
successfully undergo the "training" and develop the   
chi-abilities generally aren't ordinarily able to get the   
required exposure to cats without turning into a neko-berserker.  
  
However, Ranma was lucky in this case. The treatment   
needed positive memories and associations with cats in order to   
're-write' over the trauma. Ranma had had centuries of   
experience with various cats, from house cats to house-sized   
cats (well, maybe small-car-sized), and thus, once he regained   
all of his memories, already had the positive experiences   
needed.   
  
All the same, the sight of the small feline made him   
flinch reflexively.  
  
'Just habit. Only that.'  
  
****  
  
A scaly claw tapped on the center of an elaborate   
circle, intricately carved into the wall of the cave.  
  
"This is a call for Urd, Goddess of the Past," a   
voice said.  
  
"Please hold for a moment; the Goddess you requested   
will be at your local shortly," responded a much higher voice,   
speaking out of the air in front of the diagram.  
  
Shen Chih grunted, and then sat back after conjuring   
up a small television.  
  
After a couple of minutes, the blank screen glowed,   
and then a tanned face, framed by long white hair, popped out.  
  
"Oh, it's you," Urd said. "What's the problem?"  
  
Shen Chih stirred himself. "Remember that potion you   
gave me?"  
  
She frowned for a moment, then her face cleared.   
"Oh, the Fated Lovers Elixir? Sure."  
  
"It didn't work."  
  
She scowled at him. "Of course it worked! It's my   
masterpiece!"  
  
He frowned right back at her, showing some teeth.   
She wasn't intimidated, though. He gestured at the pool,   
which promptly replayed the scene from last night, with a   
close-up of Setsuna and Ranma sleeping in their beds.  
  
"Here are the two it was supposed to affect. It   
didn't, though."  
  
She shrugged. "You probably screwed up the   
delivery. That's not my problem."  
  
He rolled his eyes. This was getting nowhere.  
  
"Nevermind about that. I'd like your services for   
this..."  
  
"The same pay as before?"  
  
"Sure, sure; but only if you actually succeed.   
These two," he gestured at the sleeping duo. "My   
reincarnated great-grandson and this girl. Within a   
month."  
  
She smirked and posed. "No problem for the one and   
only Cupid of Love!"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "More like Cupid of   
Misfortune..." he muttered under his breath. He wished he   
knew someone else that'd be willing to attempt this...  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Err... nothing."  
  
"I thought as much."  
  
With that, she disappeared back into the screen.  
  
Once she was gone, he allowed the pained expression   
to cross his snout. Now where was he supposed to find a   
Living Mandrake Root fed on the tears of unrequited lovers?   
Not to mention the other stuff Urd wanted.  
  
This had better be worth it.  
  
****  
  
Ranma had passed the test easily - he had a couple   
problems with recent history and with math, but the rest was   
a snap - he had lived ancient history, and much of the rest   
wasn't all that much more difficult.  
  
He was walking out the door when a commotion in the   
principle's office caught his attention.  
  
"Forget it! I'm tired of this school blowing up over   
and over! Find another teacher; I'm going to Kyoto!"  
  
A largish man stormed out of the office in question,   
slamming the door (breaking the hinges in the process) and   
stalking right past Ranma and slamming that door too. The   
principle looked out the now-broken doorwaym and then turned   
to the secretary.  
  
"Note that we need to advertise for yet another   
physical education teacher and coach, will you?"  
  
Ranma turned around and went back to the secretary's   
desk. She looked up at him.  
  
"Yes? Was there something else?"  
  
"Err... no, nothing."  
  
He turned around and walked back out. It was   
something to keep in mind; physical education teacher would   
be a better job, and more permanent, than the one at the   
shrine.  
  
****  
  
Cut to a stereotypical nad scientist's lab... or   
more like a mad alchemist's lab. Counters, full of   
half-empty beakers and vials of strange substances and pages   
of arcane writings with mysterious stains on them, cluttered   
the walls, while a large table similarly attired sat in the   
center of the room. Shelves of odd and obscure raw   
materials, from "distilled moonlight" to "essence of coffee",   
sat in haphazardly-labeled jars and containers hung above   
the counters, while the room as a whole was lit with a   
sourceless light.  
  
A pair of computer terminals and a large television   
set sat in the middle of the mess, looking completely out   
of place.  
  
The sole occupant of the lab was bent over a set of   
notes, comparing them to the screen of one of the computers,   
squinting and muttering over the almost-illegible writing.  
  
She growled and, brushing a lock of white hair out   
of her eyes, grabbed a few nearby beakers and added them   
together. She inspected the final product, and gave a   
satisfied smile.  
  
This would be perfect! She was such a genius! To   
create a matrix revolving around the two subjects, to keep   
the final product from affecting any but them (she had   
been burned several times by her attempts at matching her   
sister up with her boyfriend affecting the wrong people).   
Now, to add the final ingredient...  
  
Urd slapped on a pair of gloves and, with a   
caution that was totally unlike her, carefully lifted out   
a small red crystal vial from a drawer. She had to be   
very careful with this, the Distillation of Pure (and   
Impure) Love. It was one of her most prized ingredients,   
and was powerful to affect even her... thus the precaution   
of the gloves and the careful handling.  
  
She grabbed an eyedropped, and gingerly opened the   
vial and pulled some liquid out, before carefully   
re-stoppering the vial and putting it away.  
  
She bent over the shimmering light blue potion   
that contained, among other things, a single black hair   
and a single long green hair, and eyed the dropper. Three   
drops should be sufficient... She slowly squeezed the   
dropper and -   
  
"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW????"  
  
Started, jerking her arms back and inadvertently squeezing   
the whole dropperful onto her other arm. Not noticing, and   
growling over the unexpected interruption, she looked up   
and -   
  
Saw the most handsome man she had ever seen.  
  
****  
  
Ryouga tromped through the jungle, occasionally   
knocking a small tree down as he searched for civilization;   
he needed to resupply on his food.  
  
Eventually he'd find somewhere where someone would   
be willing to trade him food for boulders moved, wood   
chopped, or something similar. Or someone who didn't think   
he could win a wrestling match with a bear or something.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment in a yawn, and   
opened them to find himself in a cluttered room that kind   
of reminded him of the time he'd wandered into a chemistry   
lab. He didn't see the white-haired goddess in at the   
table, or else he'd have probably had a nosebleed from what   
she was wearing - the traditional three to five ounces of   
silk in the proper places.e.. He drew in a careful breath,   
and then yelled.  
  
"WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW????"  
  
He looked around for the door, and only then saw   
the figure approaching him. He promptly started to faint,   
a trickle of blood running down his face from his   
over-loaded nose.  
  
He was promptly stopped by a firm hand on his arm.   
A seductive voice asked him a question.  
  
"Wh-wha?"  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"R-ryouga Hi-i-bik-k-k-i?" He knew he was going   
to faint. He just knew it.  
  
The hand suddenly disappeared from his arm, and   
he gave a cautious glace upward, hoping she had gotten   
dressed or something...  
  
'Glomp!'  
  
"Ryo-chan!!"  
  
And he finally fainted into blessed   
unconsciousness. His last thought was almost a given;   
he didn't really think so, but, in this case, he was   
actually correct.  
  
'Ranma... this is all your fault...'  
  
****  
  
Author's Notes:Well, here's part a of chapter 5; there's   
still a few things I need to work out for the original   
outline for chapter five, but I had this much already, so   
I decided to post it. C&C welcome at   
deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com  
  
BTW, any other 'incidental' matches people might want to   
see? I decided to do something with Urd and Ryouga for   
the comic relief, and might be able to fit another   
funny/odd couple in... any suggestions?  
  
And if someone suggests Happosai and someone, I'm going   
to have to hurt them. Nobody deserves that... 


End file.
